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“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” – W.B. Yeats Spring is a magical time. Life returns after a long sleep. We took a hike on a little-known trail the other day. Our path led us up the side of the mountain and round a bend, right…

We can best help children learn, not by deciding what we think they should learn and thinking of ingenious ways to teach it to them, but by making the world, as far as we can, accessible to them, paying serious attention to what they do, answering their questions — if they have any — and…

Most parents have an acutely tuned sense of responsibility–to the point where they consider relaxation and leisure, for themselves or their children, a self-indulgent luxury. By taking nature experience out of the leisure column and placing it in the health column, we are more likely to take our children on that hike–more likely to, well,…

Quick post on why walking is wonderful. Worth a few minutes to read. :) I feel that my children (and myself!) are at our best, our most creative, our most curious, our most inspired, after we’ve spent time outside, moving, breathing, walking, working!

We make it into Yellowstone at least once a week right now. It requires a lot more effort than in the warmer months, but it is worth it. From the moment I enter those borders, I am home. (This is Richie, the girls’ hiking mascot. Every kid should have a mascot, don’t you think?) :)…

If there is anything that Yellowstone has taught us, it is patience. Quiet, pleasant patience. That things take time, and sometimes the time is long and that rushing does no good. Last week, it rained and rained. And rained. It was wonderful. I am grateful for ponchos and sweatshirts. The chilly weather gave us a…

View of the Tetons from Sawtell Peak Trail. We were all a little summit hungry after Mt. Washburn. Wildflowers in bloom on Sawtell. So, we attempted another summit. Longer hike, less elevation gain. It seemed like a good balance. However, we arrived during what I can only describe as a massive swarm of bees and…

It takes time–loose, unstructured dreamtime–to experience nature in a meaningful way. Unless parents are vigilant, such time becomes a scarce resource, because time is consumed by multiple invisible forces; because our culture currently places so little value on natural play.

Love! When my kids seem to be struggling to work through something, or when their brains need a recharge in the day, the instant solution is simple: go outside. I keep seeing this graphic pop up…wish I knew who to give original credit to! :)

The purpose, for us, of going out into nature isn’t just to learn about nature. It’s to open our minds. The other day, we were hiking up to a lake in the mountains, and though we noticed lichen on rocks and wildlife in hollowed out logs and streams that rolled down from mountain lakes, our…

We’ve recently begun letterboxing, and we have had so much fun so far! Here is the basic idea: Find a letterboxing site or app (boxfinder, clue tracker, and box radar are a few) to help you locate a letterbox, or a trail of letterboxes. Each child (and adult) needs a book (notebooks or bare books…

“One day’s exposure to mountains is better than cartloads of books. See how willingly Nature poses herself upon photographers’ plates. No earthly chemicals are so sensitive as those of the human soul.” -John Muir

About me

Welcome! I’m Ann. I’m blessed with one amazing husband and six incredible daughters. We have embraced unschooling, and this is a place to collect and share our thoughts with others who may be interested in a more natural way of learning for their family.